Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Mixture

vegetarian friendly bakery and cafe

Hello! Has it really been nearly 2 months since my last post? Yikes! Well, it's Golden Week, a week long holiday for many in Japan and the perfect opportunity to be a less neglectful blogger. The place I'd like to introduce you today is a sweet little cafe-bakery in Shimokitazawa.

With nice coffees, tasty sandwiches including a number of vegetarian options, reasonable prices, and the option of taking a loaf freshly baked bread home, this cafe is a nice stop if you are in the Shimokita area.

We first discovered Mixture after a disappointing trip to a nearby cafe that had been featured in a Shimokitazawa / Sangenjaya Cafe magazine. Despite looking very cool in the the photos, we found the other cafe had quite unpleasant coffee. Though we won't be making any return trips to the original shop, it was fortunate that our search took us up a then unexplored road in Shimokitazawa, where we spotted what was soon to be a new local favourite.

Mixture is a cozy place with a small line of tables on one side, and shelves of take-home bread and goodies on the other. Veggie sandwich options include the cream cheese and dried fruit bagel (330¥), mozzarella and basil sandwich (390¥), hummus and veggie sandwich (300¥), veggie baguette sandwich (390¥) and sora mame (fava bean) and green pepper baguette (330¥). If you order a set (700-900¥) you get your choice of drink, a little salad (with homemade vinaigrette dressing), a slice of baguette dressed with tomato sauce and cheese, and a daily mini-salad. Vegetarians should ask what the day's mini-salad is, as this may be an egg or (as it was on my first visit) a tuna salad!

watch out for that sneaky tuna salad in the lunch set!

野菜たっぷりのバゲットサンド (veggie baguette sandwich)

If you're in the mood for pizza, you can try their margarita pizza (900¥) or the mozzarella and tomato pizza with basil sauce (1100¥). If you prefer, they'll whip yours up using whole wheat dough!

mozzarella tomato pizza with basil sauce with a wholewheat crust

If you stop by just for a snack, you can choose a sweet or savory goody from the bakery wall and they'll serve it for you with your tea or coffee.

practical information...

how to get there: From the north (北) exit of Shimokitazawa station, head to the left around Mizuho Bank and up the little hill where bikes are parked. When the road comes to a T at Muji (無印良品), turn right. Walk straight for 3 blocks, passing a Starbucks, and at the bottom of a small hill there's an intersection with a Lawson on the far right hand corner. Turn to the left here, and at the end of the second block, you'll find Mixture on your right.

はじめまして

Well hello there.
I'm Mika. And you might be...?
Hailing from vegetarian friendly Vancouver, Canada, I now make my home in Setagaya, Tokyo. I make a living teaching English to tiny Japanese children.
I love yoga, Sundays in Yoyogi park, reading art/design/foodie blogs, and eating delicious vegetarian meals.